N.J. Dem Mayor's Wife Hurt as Driver Flees ICE

The wife of Democratic East Brunswick, New Jersey, Mayor Brad Cohen was injured Wednesday when a driver fleeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers struck her vehicle. ICE agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation in North Brunswick when they initiated a motor vehicle stop. An ICE spokesperson said the driver refused to exit the vehicle or comply with commands from officers. "After repeated verbal warnings and due to officer safety concerns, ICE officers relied on their training and attempted to safely remove the illegal alien [from the car]. The illegal alien then proceeded to flee at a high rate of speed and collided with other vehicles," the ICE representative said. North Brunswick police reported the crash occurred near Route 130 South and Raider Road. Police said the driver initially stopped, then sped away from federal agents, drove through a red light, and struck a vehicle driven by Penelope Cohen, a physician. Occupants of both vehicles were taken to a hospital. North Brunswick Mayor Francis "Mac" Womack said Cohen's injuries were not life-threatening. The driver was arrested for violating U.S. immigration law and will remain in custody pending removal proceedings, the ICE spokesperson said. Critics say the crash reflects Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill's restrictions on cooperation between local police and ICE, according to Fox as cited by The Western Journal. Republican state Assemblyman Paul Kanitra said a cooperative approach would prevent high-speed chases. "This is just the latest in a long line of traffic incidents and vehicular incidents that wouldn't occur if New Jersey didn't have our sanctuary status that got codified as soon as Gov. Sherrill came into office," he said. Republican state Sen. Mike Testa said the state's approach has "only emboldened illegal aliens to engage in illegal behavior." "This illegal alien was stopped lawfully by federal authorities, ran through a red light, fleeing federal authorities and unfortunately ran into the mayor of East Brunswick's wife," Testa said. Womack said his police force was not involved in the federal operation or the attempted stop. "North Brunswick police officers became involved only after the motor vehicle crash occurred, responding to the scene to address the crash and related public safety matters," Womack said. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., offered a different assessment, writing on X that "ICE's lawlessness is putting innocent people in harms way #AbolishICE."